The Other Side of The Coin
by Punch Drunk Marc
Summary: Erza Knightwalker has arrived on Earthland, but has no memory of how she got there. When a meddlesome Dragon Slayer accompanies her on a journey to put the pieces together...will she find a reason to stay? More importantly, will he survive long enough to see another side of the Fairy Hunter? Natsu X Knightwalker fic, 1st one ever I think.
1. Arrival

**I do not own Fairy Tail. All it's characters, locations, and other elements belong to Hiro Mashima and his publishers.**

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"It may look the same, but the sky here is all too different from my home." Erza said glumly as she laid on her back in the forest. The sun broke through the canopy of the trees she was lying under, her body covered in cuts and bruises. _This world is still a great mystery to me, magic is so abundant here that it's almost a dream._ She turned to look at Natsu who was lying against a tree a few feet away from her, her spear lying on his lap. She smirked at him then turned her attention back towards the sky.

_Why is that idiot still following me?_

**1 Month Earlier**

*gasp* Erza opened her eyes in shock as she found herself on her back in the middle of a strange town. A crowd of people had huddled around her, staring as they talked amongst themselves about the strange sight.

"It's Erza."

"What is she doing out here?"

"What happened to her hair? It looks weird."

"Personally I like it."

"Looks like she had a rough night."

Erza having regained her faculties slowly rose to her feet, the crowd stepping back as to give her space. When she had returned upright she surveyed the area but found no recognizable landmarks. _Where am I?_ She thought to herself as she continued to look around.

Noticing the gathered masses could probably help her in her confusion she decided to ask them where she was. "You people!" she yelled sternly frightening the gathered crowd, "Where am I?! What is this town called?"

The crowd looked at her confused and afraid, but Erza was even more confused. _Was my tone too rough? They look scared. _Just as she was about to ask again one of the people spoke up.

"Geez how much did you drink last night Erza? You're in Magnolia."

"Magnolia?" Erza looked at the man confused.

"Yeah Magnolia, you know home of Fairy Tail. Your guild?"

Erza's eyes widened at the man's words. _Fairy Tail? Why would I be a member of Fairy Tail?_ _Do these people not know who I am…unless. _Her eyes widened again as she made a revelation. _It can't be, am I in- _She grabbed the man by the collar forcefully, "Where is the Fairy Tail guild hall?"

The man struggled as the crowd grew more afraid, "Agh…don't ya remember? It's on the edge of town past the marketplace."

She dropped the man and walked through the crowd to her destination. The masses looking at her with a look of both confusion and fear. The man she questioned rubbed his neck as he sat on the ground, "The hell is wrong with her?"

Erza eventually made it to the Fairy tail guild hall, her eyes filled with rage as she flung the doors open. Inside the guild hall all of the conversation and carrying on stopped as they saw the redheaded wizard fuming at their doors.

"Erza?!" Macao asked confused almost spitting out his beer, "But isn't she sitting at the bar? I mean I know I'm drunk, but I'm not that drunk."

"Is this some kind of illusion magic?" Wakaba asked equally confused.

"What are you guys talking about? There's always been two Erza's." Cana said nonchalantly as she took a sip from her huge mug.

"I think you've had enough." Wakaba interjected.

The whole guild sat in confusion and shock as they saw the sight in front of them. It was definitely Erza's face and her voice, but it was definitely not her. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Carla, & Wendy also sat in shock at what they were seeing.

"SCARLET!" The woman with Erza's face yelled at the top of her lungs, frightening almost everyone in the guild hall as she made her way towards Erza at the bar.

Erza turned around and her eyes grew shocked as everyone else's when she saw her supposed doppelganger. "Knightwalker…but how are you-"before she could finish her question Knightwalker had pulled out her 10 Commandments spear, pointing it at Erza Scarlet's throat. Everyone in the posed themselves to strike down Knightwalker but Erza waved them off.

"Calm down everyone, its fine. I'll handle this."

Everyone back down although still uneasy as they watched the two women square off.

"Talk Scarlet! Why am I in Earthland? Was this your doing?" She asked angrily as she held her spear towards her unafraid counterpart's neck.

Erza looked at her with equal intensity, "I don't know why you're here Knightwalker, and even if I did have the power to cross dimensions like that I wouldn't use it to bring you here.

The two Erza's stared into one another's eyes for a few more seconds before Knightwalker sheathed her spear. Letting out an irritated sigh. "Fine, I guess it was foolish to think you would know why I was brought here." She sat down at the bar next to her counterpart as the rest of the guilds tenseness turned into confusion.

"Wow they settled things just like that huh?"

"That's Erza for you."

Knightwalker looked around the guild hall before looking back at her counterpart, "Where is Pantherlily? I know he returned with you back to this world."

"He recently left on a job with Gajeel."

"I see so he's the Iron Dragon's pet now."

"They're more like partners than master and servant." Erza replied as she began to eat her cake.

"If you say so. Bartender!" She yelled at Mirajane, "I'll have what she is having." She stated pointing at Erza's strawberry cake.

"Coming right up." Mira answered with a smile. A few minutes later Mirajane had handed Knightwalker a slice of deliciously exquisite looking Strawberry cake. Knightwalker took her fork and slowly took off a piece of the cake. She brought it to her lips and ate it, after a few seconds of pondering the taste.

"PLAAHH!" She spit it out in disgust. "This is atrocious, how do you eat this?"

"What are you talking about?" Erza asked her, "Strawberry cake is the most elegant food known to man."

"Nothing is elegant about that foul confection. Is this what you eat in Earthland?"

"Well here try this." Mira placed down another piece of cake in front of the disgruntled wizard with a smile on her face.

"I hope this is better than that slop you served earlier."

Mira twitched but managed to keep her composure in front of Knightwalker, "Try it & find out."

Knightwalker once again picked up her fork, but this time moved much more hesitantly as she inched closer to the new cake in front of her. As she placed the fork in her mouth a second time, a wonderful sensation filled her entire being. She had never felt anything like it before, her eyes lit up as the feeling washed over her body, unable to control her body she smiled.

"What is this? I've never tasted anything like it before."

Mirajane giggled and answered the spellbound wizard's question. "It's key lime cheesecake, since you didn't like strawberry I thought you would like this since red & green are opposites."

Knightwalker looked at the cake in amazement. "Key Lime Cheesecake."

As Mira watched the two Erza's eat their respective cakes she couldn't but smile at how similar the two looked in the moment.

After the two finished eating Erza turned to her counterpart and began to question her. "So what do you remember before coming here Knightwalker?"

Knightwalker sat and tried to remember as she sat across from Erza at the bar, but nothing came to her it was all a blank. "I can't remember anything."

"That is strange, well we should console the master about how to proceed. Come on we'll go see him."

The two Erza's rose from their seat and headed towards Master Makarov's room. The rest of the guild watched the two intimidating women walk upstairs and as soon as they were out of sight the gossip continued.

"I still can't believe it, TWO Erza's?"

"Isn't she from Edolas? How did she get here?"

"Well I don't trust her, I think we should keep an eye on her."

Over at Natsu's table, chatter began to bubble as well.

"Erza Knightwalker?" Lucy asked slightly afraid. "How did she get here? You think this is some sort of invasion from Edolas?"

"I don't think so." Wendy added quelling the blonde haired girl's fears. "Jella- I mean Mystogan is the king now right? I don't think he would do that to his friends."

Lucy calmed down after listening to the young girls words. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But what is she doing here? More importantly HOW did she get here? What do you think Natsu?" She looked over to the pink haired Dragon Slayer, but his attention was focused squarely upstairs. "Helloooo, Earth to Natsu!" Lucy called snapping him out of his trance.

"I'm sorry you say something Lucy?"

"I asked what you think of this whole Erza Knightwalker situation."

"I don't know why she's here." Natsu said in a low tone, "But I think it's best to keep an eye on her just in case she tries to do anything funny.

…

Both Erza's stood in Master Makarov's room, each of them hoping to get an answer that would help Knightwalker's newfound situation. Makarov walked back toward the two women after perusing his bookshelf. "Well to be honest I have no idea how you arrived here Ms. Knightwalker. I can only think it was something similar to how we ended up in your world."

"Can you send me back?" Knightwalker asked expectantly.

"Sadly this type of magic is out of realm of expertise so I don't know for sure, but I will try."

Knightwalker bowed to the master, "Thank you for your help." She and her counterpart then walked out of the master's room. They headed back down the stairs and returned to their seats at the bar. Knightwalker looked a tad distraught as Mira brought her a slice of Key Lime Pie.

"Don't worry about it, the master will find a way to return you home."

Knightwalker smirked, "You know having you worry about me makes my skin crawl."

Erza smiled back at her, "I imagine it does."

After a few minutes of sitting at the bar, Knightwalker began to grow restless. "Arrghh, this is driving me insane." She stood up and walked toward the guild doors.

"Where are you going?" Erza asked trying to stop her.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving. I can't stay in here it reminds me too much of my worlds Fairy Tail." She waved as she continued to walk to the guild doors.

"But you nothing of Earthland, and Fairy Tail has numerous enemies. If you just casually walk around with my face you'll be attacked."

"Well then, I guess that will make for some interesting battles." She waved her hand signaling a goodbye as she continued to walk to guild doors. "Thank you for the cake. Tell Pantherlily to look for me when he returns." And with that she was out of the guild hall.

"Knightwalker wait!" Erza called as she began to run to the guild doors. _Dammit what is she thinking?_

Just as Erza was about to reach the guild doors, she felt a hand pull her back. She looked back to see who had done it and her eyes widened.

"Don't worry about it Erza, I'll follow her."

"But you don't-"but before Erza could finish the one who stopped her had already left the guild.

Knightwalker looked up into the night sky as she made her way out of Magnolia, still garnering scattered stares from the citizens. _These people are so annoying, they all think I'm Scarlet._ She continued to walk unabated as she pondered her current predicament. _Why can't I remember how I got here? Was it some sort of magical attack? _Suddenly she felt a presence behind her.

_Someone's following me, but who? Is it one of those "enemies" Scarlet was talking about?_ She thought about it as she turned an alley, still hearing footsteps behind her. _Judging by their approach they aren't very good at shadowing, I would have attacked them earlier but there were too many people around. _As she turned another corner she started to realize who she was and she chuckled lightly to herself. As she reached an inn on the outskirts of the city she stopped abruptly.

"Ok, I think we've played this game long enough. Come on out Natsu Dragneel."

Just as she suspected, the pink haired Dragon Slayer walked out from around the corner he was watching from. He scratched the back of his head and smiled at her, "Aw man I thought I was sneakier than that."

Knightwalker looked at him and smirked, "Well clearly no one taught you the finer points of surveillance, now tell me: Why are you following me?"

…

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**Well here is the first chapter of my Knightwalker/Natsu fic. This is purely experimental as this ship randomly popped into my head today and I thought it would be fun to write about (as all crack is lol). Also I'm the first to write about this so there's that lol. Anyway R&R let me know what you guys think of it :).**


	2. Forced Alliance

There was a still silence between the two as Knightwalker's question hung in the air. Natsu moved his hand behind his head and smiled his trademark smile. "Well I just thought you could use some company. "

FWOOM!

Suddenly Knightwalker was close to the Dragon Slayer her spear aimed at his neck, causing Natsu to reaffirm his eyes into a look of intensity. "Watch what you say, I don't take well to deception." Her eyes matched his intensity, "Now tell me the real reason you're here."

"I followed you to make sure you don't cause any trouble." Natsu answered his voice serious.

After a few seconds Knightwalker reset herself, pulling back her weapon from Natsu's throat. "Now was that so hard?" she said smirking, "Did Scarlet send you?"

"No I came on my own."

Knightwalker headed towards the door of the inn, "Well you can go back and tell your friends that I won't cause trouble for their little guild."

"No, I'm staying until I'm sure you're not a threat." Natsu said defiantly.

"You don't trust me?" Knightwalker asked facetiously, she already knew his answer.

"I don't."

"Suit yourself then." She opened the door to the inn.

"How are you going to pay for the room?"

"Your guild is famous in this town right? I'm sure I can use my resemblance to Scarlet for something." She replied smirking as she closed the door behind her. Natsu sighed with his hands on his hips as he watched his friend's doppelganger go inside.

…

The sun began to rise as Knightwalker made her way out of the inn. She stretched her arms above her and yawned as she checked to see if her spear was strapped to her back. As she surveyed the area she couldn't help but notice Natsu sitting by the door of the inn, a piece of paper being held to his chest. She took the paper from him, rousing the Dragon Slayer awake.

"Unnn…huh?" Natsu asked half awake. He looked above him to see Knightwalker reading the piece of paper that he had brought with him. He opened his eyes and stood up, trying to snatch it away.

He reached his hand out towards her, "Hey! That's mi-agh!" he exclaimed as Knightwalker dodged him, causing him to fall on his face. He sat on the ground and rubbed his throbbing nose, "Ow." He then looked back up at Knightwalker, "Give that back."

"What is this?" she asked as she continued to hold it, completely ignoring his request.

Natsu stood up, his face still in pain. "It's a job request. It's how we get money here. You don't have those in Edolas."

"I had no need for such things. Everything was regulated by the government so money was of no concern to me."

"Then how did you buy things?" Natsu asked growing more interested and completely forgetting his paper.

"Everything was provided for me by the King, so I had no real use for shopping. All I really cared about was obtaining weapons for hunting anyway." She explained as she grabbed her 10 Commandments Spear.

"For hunting Edolas' Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked his tone growing serious.

"Yes for the "Fairy Hunts"".

"You don't regret doing what you did?"

"It doesn't matter if I regret my actions or not, the past can't be changed." She let go of her spear, "So there's no use dwelling on it."

As Natsu looked at Knightwalker for what looked like an eternity, he could hear a sense of sorrow in her voice. She seemed so ruthless in Edolas, so in control of herself; but now she seemed sort of vulnerable. She briefly reminded him of his own Erza but just as he pondered further Knightwalker thrust the job request to his chest breaking his concentration.

"When are we leaving?" She asked suddenly.

"Leaving where?" Natsu asked confused.

"To the city where this "job" is located?"

"Oh no," Natsu stated shaking his head, "You're not coming with me. You could mess something up."

"Would you rather me walk around unchecked? Who knows what havoc I could create with Scarlet's face?" She said sarcastically.

Natsu twisted his face and relented. "Fine you can come, but try not to do anything sneaky. I'll be watching you." He pointed his index and middle fingers at his eyes then pointed them at Knightwalker to show he was serious. He moved this strange gesture back and forth about three times before Knightwalker smirked at him and began to walk forward.

"I'm sure you will Dragneel." She said as she walked past him. He looked at her pensively before following after as they walked out of Magnolia.

…

About 2 hours later the pair arrived in a local mining town known as Biard. The town itself was much smaller than Magnolia but it made more than enough to support itself through the mining and distribution of magical Lacrima.

"Where are we?" Knightwalker asked slight amazed as they walked through the sprawling town. The buildings themselves were small but the detail put into their construction was astounding. She had never seen anything like this in Edolas.

"We're in Biard. A mining town, they dig lacrima here."

"Lacrima? So I see Earthland uses that resource as well."

Natsu & Knightwalker walked until they reached a building in the middle of town that read "The Biard Mining Co." They stepped inside and made their way into an office in the back. Natsu knocked on the door before entering.

"Hello? Anyone here? We're-"Natsu stopped and looked at Knightwalker before continuing, "from Fairy Tail. We came to take on the job you requested."

A husky voice answered him almost immediately. "Yes, yes, please come in."

Natsu & Knightwalker walked into the office and almost fell over as they tried to step over the mounds of papers and plans all over the place.

"Sorry about the mess." The voice said again, "We just have so much to get done around here." Natsu & Knightwalker looked at one another confused as they tried to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"I'm sorry but we have no idea where you are sir." Natsu said as he continued to look around.

"Oh, I'm so sorry forgive me." The voice answered as two stacks of papers separated on the desk in front of the pair, revealing a short pudgy man with brown hair extending from the sides of his head, leaving the middle completely bald. His moustache was also exceptionally thick covering his mouth so they could see his mouth move when he spoke, only his facial hair.

"My name is Gestal." He said as he shook the pairs hands, "I'm the overseer of the Biard Mine. Thank you for accepting the job."

"No problem." Natsu replied smiling wide, "I'm Natsu Dragneel & this is Erza Kni-I mean Scarlet." Knightwalker shot the Dragon Slayer a frightening glance but he looked unfazed.

"Once again I thank you two for coming all the way here. Would you like something to drink?" Gestal asked motioning towards a jug of water.

"No we're fine." Natsu answered back.

"What of this job?" Knightwalker asked growing impatient.

Gestal cleared his throat, "Yes the job. As you read on the posting, we have had a problem with thieves coming at knight and stealing the lacrima we mine during the day. It was only one or two pieces at first but it has steadily grown in scale over the past couple of weeks."

"Do you know who the thieves are?" Natsu asked.

"No, no one has seen them. I've tried posting security at the mine entrance and the storehouses but they still make a way with them. They strike fast, and move even faster." Gestal clasped his hands as hi face began to grimace. "If this keeps up, we won't be able to export Lacrima, meaning that the town will soon go bankrupt."

BAM! Natsu slammed his fist on the desk in determination as he looked at the overseer. "Don't worry sir, now that Fairy Tail's on the job we those guys won't be stealing anything else."

"Thank you so much, I knew I could count on you. The storehouse is on the outskirts of town just past the woods. They usually come around night fall so they should be easy to spot."

"Got it. Let's go Erza." Natsu said to a still irritated Knightwalker as they walked out of the office.

…

Natsu & Knightwalker stood in front of the entrance to the storehouse as they waited for their targets. After standing silently for a couple of hours Knightwalker spoke. "Why did you refer to me as Erza Scarlet in the office?"

"Huh? Oh, I thought it would be easier if people just assumed you were her; it's not like I think you two are alike or anything."

"Good." Knightwalker snapped back at him, "I am not Scarlet, and I'm am not your "friend". It would be best if you remembered that fact Dragon Slayer."

"Don't worry I won't."

The night continued to wane on as there were still no signs of the thieves. Natsu stretched his arms above him and yawned. "Maybe there are no-"

Shh shh.

The pair turned their heads as they heard a rustling coming from the bushes. They looked at each other with intense glares "I'll check it out, stay here." Natsu told Knightwalker as he walked into the woods.

Knightwalker reset herself as soon as he was out of sight. _Fool, as if he can command me. _Suddenly Knightwalker felt a presence as she readied her spear. _What was that?_ She thought as she continued to search around her._ Something is coming but from where?_

She looked left, right and even to the ground. Eventually she turned her attention towards the sky, her eyes widening as she saw something fall towards her with incredible speed. Being the hardened warrior she was she readied her weapon almost immediately as she collided with the falling mass.

BOOM!

…

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**Sorry the chapter took so long. Lot's of stuff going on right now lol But as usual let me know what you guys think :).**


	3. Glimpse of Darkness

Natsu raced through the trees as he searched for what made that noise. As the braches grazed his face he could have sworn he could hear snickering. He saw a small clearing and stopped to take in his surroundings. "Come out!" He roared into the air, "Are you one the bandits stealing the lacrima?" His question was only answered with more laughter.

Natsu gritted his teeth in frustration as flames enveloped his right hand. "You're starting to piss me off."

"Aww, is the little Salamander going to throw a temper tantrum?" A raspy voice called from the trees, "Don't be so bitter little dragon. The game is just beginning."

_Game?_ Natsu thought as he continued to look for the voice's source. "What are you talking about?!" he yelled once again.

Suddenly he heard movement from the trees.

SLASH!

"Agh!" Natsu yelled as he barely moved out of the path of the attack, although his vest had been slightly cut into. _What was that?_ He looked around but saw nothing.

"You're better than I thought. I'm surprised you dodged that one." The voice once again called from the trees.

"Come out and fight me like a man!" Natsu yelled as he frantically tried to anticipate the next attack. Once again he saw movement from the trees, but this time he was able to see his opponent coming towards him. He looked to see a lanky man with a mask on lunging towards him, the mask had a very eerie smile from ear to ear with sharp teeth. Natsu moved to punch his opponent but he shifted positions in midair throwing the Dragon Slayer off balance as he slashed at his chest.

SLASH!

This time the attack hit its mark as he leaped back into the trees. "Damn!" Natsu grimaced as he grabbed his chest. The blood dripping onto the grass. This guy's pretty fast and those claws are nothing to take lightly. He briefly looked up at the sky, I hope Knightwalker is ok.

…

Knightwalker quickly threw the falling mass off of her and stood poised for battle, Not realizing that the spot she had been standing in had now become a crater she walked back topside to see what exactly fell on her. What she saw when she reached the top astounded her.

It was a black ball, or at least she thought it was until it began to move. Knightwalker stood her eyes fixed on the curious sphere as it rolled around in a circle. What IS this thing? Is it another one of Earthland's creatures? She almost moved to touch it until she saw two stubby legs poke out from the side. She moved back and gripped her spear as she prepared to attack.

Two stubby arms poked out from opposite sides of the sphere as it stood up on its legs. Last a head popped out from the top tilted to the left. Upon the head was a mask with a face that looked as it if were puckering up for a kiss. The sphere, now standing upright cranked its neck upright and stared at Knightwalker who was still poised to strike.

"You're Erza Scarlet?" A husky voice came from the large man as he placed one hand under his chin and the other behind his back, "You look nothing like you're picture. Isn't your hair supposed to be longer? "

Even though being called Scarlet once again irritated her to no end, Knightwalker swallowed her pride and went along with the man's remarks. "I decided it was time for a change." She said as she looked down at the ground, however when she looked up again the man was gone without a trace. Where did he go? Knightwalker's eyes widened when she heard a voice directly behind her.

"No armor either."

On instinct Knightwalker turned around and jumped back to create distance between her and the man. She gripped her spear tight as she stared a hole into him. _He's fast for someone his size, and I couldn't sense his presence at all. I have to be careful with this one._ She regained her composure and spoke, "I take it you're one of the bandits stealing this town's lacrima?"

"Bandit is such a harsh word. We prefer the term lovable rogues."

"However you "prefer" it, a thief is a thief. I'm guessing you didn't come alone."

"As indicated you are a sharp one Titania. My compatriot and I came together to take the Lacrima to our boss."

_Compatriot?_ Knightwalker thought as she scanned the area to look for anymore "surprises". _No one else is here, that sound in the bushes that we heard must have been a distraction to separate us._ She placed her hand on her head in frustration, _and that idiot Dragneel fell for it. _

Tch. Knightwalker sucked her teeth in annoyance as she turned her attention back to her rather large adversary. She tightened her grip on her spear and stood ready to engage him. "So are you just going to stand there, or are you going to face me?"

"Aren't you an eager one Titania." The thief commented, once again causing Knightwalker to wince. "I would prefer not to add any unnecessary complications to the mission, but you seem like on who won't move without a nudge." Suddenly the man was back into his ball form with a speed that once again caught Knightwalker off guard. The ball started to roll, readying for an attack.

DASH

"Ah!" Knightwalker narrowly managed to dodge as the ball zoomed past her with incredible speed. Knightwalker landed some distance away as she watched the ball roll on. "Fool, how can he hit me if he can't-What?!" Knightwalker's eyes widened as she saw the ball change direction and come back even faster than before.

Damn, too fast for me to dodge I have slow down his speed. Thinking quickly Knightwalker's spear began to glow and change forms, "Vacuum Spear, Mel Force!" she yelled as her normal looking spear transformed into one of its forms, Mel Force. She pointed the now wide spearhead, the edges on the side curving inwards close to where the spearhead was mounted, and a silver colored glowing orb connecting to the shaft, enveloped by twelve poise diamonds around it. At the center of the spear was an orb as blue as the ocean engraved to the head. She pointed at the ground a few inches in front of her.

Having little time to react she shot a vacuum wave at the ground creating a hole that would hopefully slow down the barreling mass. There, that should…no! Knightwalker watched in pure shock and horror as the boulder of a man avoided the hole with great ease, strafing to the left before rushing forward once more.

_No more time. He's moving too fast so I can't switch to Silfarion to dodge._ Realizing the gravity of the situation, she held her spear long ways in front of her and braced for impact, _I have to block it. _

CRASH!

"Nnngh." Knightwalker winced as she flew into a nearby tree, her body colliding with the firm wood. Gasp! It knocked the wind out of her as fell to the ground on her stomach. Barely able to stand she used her spear to prop up her body as she wiped the blood coming from her mouth. Her vision blurry from the attack she focused long enough to see that ball had stopped its rotation.

"Is that all you have Titania?" The ball mocked Knightwalker, "I imagined the Queen of the Fairies would have more fight in her than this."

Knightwalker spit out her blood and gripped her spear once more as the tip changed. "Double Dragon Spear, Blue Crimson." Suddenly her spear had split in half as she held one in each hand. Her opponent once again began his rotation as he raced towards Knightwalker, no words were exchanged; but a sadistic smirk slowly began to appear on the Fairy Hunters face.

…

Natsu rubbed his sore shoulder as he stared at his fallen opponent. His mask was broken near his mouth as he laid on the ground with his mouth wide open and face swollen from a punch to the face. "Man that took forever." Natsu complained as he stretched his arms over his head.

"Guy was moving so fast that I could barely move. Standing in one spot so long was getting boring." He looked at his tattered clothes and grimaced and their unsightly state. "Now my clothes are all messed up, he didn't have to shred them all up. I really liked this shirt too." He said forgetting that he had at least 20 more just like it back in Magnolia. He bent down and picked up his felled opponent by the waist as he walked back through the trees.

"Hope Knightwalker's ok, this guy said he had a friend. I probably should have asked where his group's hideout was before I knocked him out though."

Natsu continued to walk through the forest until he could see the light of the storehouse. There it is FINALLY! He thought relieved as he emerged from the bushes. "Hey Knightwalker I-"Natsu stopped his sentence short as his face became overtaken by fear and shock. Unable to control himself, he immediately dropped his passenger onto the ground and at the horrifying scene before him.

There in the dim light of the storehouse, stood Erza Knightwalker covered in blood, her spear dripping of the red liquid as if it had been dipped in it. In her other hand was man, a rather large one at that, who had obviously been welcomed by death's embrace. A hole in his chest a large as Natsu's head as his neck was gripped tightly by Knightwalker as she held him above the ground.

She dropped him as his body fell limp to the ground like a ragdoll. Natsu slowly inched closer as he saw the look in Knightwalker's eyes as she looked at her kill. No pain, no sadness, no anger, no happiness, only…apathy. She had just robbed a man of the gift of life, and she didn't care. Natsu had never been more afraid in his life, he knew before that this was not his Erza but the look in Knightwalker's eyes now solidified that fact.

Her eyes were cold as she continued to look at her fresh kill. Natsu opened his mouth to speak but Knightwalker, unaware of his presence spoke first uttering one simple, but at the same time terrifying word.

"Weakling."

...

* * *

Sorry this one took so long, was trying to get things right while also working on my other stories. I tried to give a glimpse of Knightwalker's darker side at the end of this one, which will be expanded on in the next chapter which will begin to frame her future relationship with Natsu. So until then as always let me know your guys thoughts on the story's direction and thanks for reading. :)


	4. Changes

Natsu sat on the bed inside the room he had purchased at the inn. He sat at the edge looking down at the ground as he replayed the scenario in his mind a thousand times over. _Knightwalker…she…she killed that guy without a second thought. _He remembered the look in her eyes, they were cold, uncaring. He had never seen such darkness before, and it didn't help that she shared the face of someone he admired.

As he kept trying to make sense of what he had just seen, Knightwalker emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body as she used a smaller one to dry her red hair. She gave Natsu a quick glance and sat on the bed next to his.

"Something troubling you Dragneel?" Knightwalker asked facetiously knowing full well what was on Natsu's mind. "If you're troubled by the sight of blood you won't last long in this life, besides we have information on their boss so you should be praising me."

"I don't thank murderers." Natsu said coldly as he continued to look at the ground.

Knightwalker stopped drying her hair, "I told you before I'm not Scarlet nor am I your friend so don't expect me to justify my actions to you."

"You didn't have to kill him."

"He had no qualms with killing me, it was self-defense."

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"You and I both know you could have beat that guy without killing him."

"Perhaps, but now that he's dead he will no longer be able to hurt anyone else. I thought such a noble man like you would appreciate at least that."

"THAT'S CRAP!" Natsu yelled standing up and looking at Knightwalker, his eyes as fierce as the dragon that raised him. "YOU KILLED HIM BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO, IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM HURTING MORE PEOPLE!" Knightwalker looked in to the enraged wizard's eyes but her stance remained unchanged.

"You were the one that appointed yourself my escort Salamander, so anything I do under your watch is your responsibility. So if you want me to stop killing, I suggest you stop me on your own."

"You mean kill you?" Natsu asked his eyes hardening with intensity as he tried to understand the situation.

"If that's what you choose to do."

"That's not what we do in Fairy Tail." Natsu said still looking at Knightwalker.

Knightwalker lied down and rolled to her side facing the window as her back faced Natsu. "Well in case you have forgotten I'm not a member of Fairy Tail. Not in Edolas and certainly not in Earthland. Once I return home, you won't have to worry about me killing anyone here again." She then fell silent.

Natsu, believing she had fallen asleep, returned to his bed, once again sitting on the edge as he sighed and let his mind wander.

Knightwalker, her back still facing Natsu, glared out of the window in frustration as she looked the moon. She soon drifted off to sleep, her anger still painted on her face.

**2 Hours Earlier**

Knightwalker held her boisterous opponent in the air, choking the life out of him as she held her spear to her side. He gripped her writs trying to free himself but that only earned him more of the Fairy Hunter's ire. "Stop squirming, it's pathetic." She said in a cold tone. "What happened to that bravado from earlier? It must have leaked from your body along with that cold sweat."

"P…please!" he pleaded as he continued to run out of air. "Spare me & I'll tell you anything you want to know, please!" at this point tears were beginning to fall from his eyes, but this only irritated Knightwalker more.

"You shed tears? You're supposed to be a warrior, death stalks you each time you approach the battlefield but you whimper like a child. You're pathetic as a warrior and a man. Don't tell me all Earthland men are like this in the face of death." She gripped her spear tighter as lifted it into the air. "Talk, and I may spare you."

"Ok, ok!" the man continued to plead, "Our master, he said this was going to be an easy job. We would just steal the lacrima and return to the hideout."

"What is his end goal?"

"He was planning on gathering enough lacrima to attack the magic council."

Despite Knightwalker not knowing what this "magical council" was she continued to interrogate him. "Where is this hideout located?"

"It's about 3 miles south of Magnolia. Our guild is called Twilight Sparrow, now please I told you what you want now let me go."

Knightwalker smirked, "I never said I would let you go."

"But…but you're Erza Scarlet you're supposed to be noble you ca-gagghk!" He gasped as Knightwalker tightened her grip on his neck. She looked him in the eye, her eyes were soulless, merciless. The intent to kill was so strong that it even scared the nearby animals as they scurried away. Her tone was grim as the grave when she spoke.

"I am NOT Erza Scarlet. My name is Erza Knightwalker. I am the "Fairy Hunter" and the Royal Captain of the 2nd Magic War Division of the kingdom of Edolas."

SHUNK!

She drove her spear so far into his stomach that it came out of his back, the tip of her weapon dripping with blood. His body shook violently as Knightwalker held her grip on his neck, soon he stopped all of the life drained out of his body. As her weapon dripped with blood she dropped him and looked at his deceased form.

"Weakling."

"Knightwalker!"

Knightwalker didn't even turn to know that it was Natsu calling her name. She continued to look at her fallen enemy as Salamander approached her and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"What did you do?" he asked angrily.

"Exactly what it looks like." She said plainly, "I took the information I needed from him and I killed him."

"Why did you do that?"

"Why not?"

Natsu looked at her astonished as she removed his hand from her shoulder. "What?"

"He served his purpose. He was no longer of use to me."

"You didn't have to kill him."

"What should I have done Salamander? Show mercy? Let him go so he could cause more trouble? You have no idea how battle works."

"We don't kill in Fairy Tail."

"I'm not a member, so your rules don't apply to me Salamander." She turned around and looked him in the eye, her eyes were empty and cold. She felt nothing inside for what she had done, and it made Natsu even more uneasy than when she first showed up. She shared the face of one of his closest friends, but they couldn't be any more different.

"You can do what you wish. I'm returning to the inn to clean myself off." With that said she walked past Natsu and made her way back to town. Natsu buried the dead body and placed a stake there. While the man had been a criminal, he was still a person and Natsu didn't feel right about just leaving him in the middle of the woods.

He then dropped his friend off in the city jail and made his way back to the inn.

…

As the sun rose on a new day, things were more than a little tense in the room that Natsu Dragneel & Erza Knightwalker called their own for the night. Natsu was still sitting on the edge of his bed, sleeping in that awkward position. Knightwalker eyes opened to a dent in the wall in front of her, although she didn't think much of it since she surmised she had caused the dent in her sleep.

She stood up and stretched her arms above her head as she looked outside the window. She couldn't help but smirk as she looked at the horizon. The sun rise is certainly more beautiful here than in Edolas. She looked over to her reluctant companion as he slept. She scoffed and walked to the bathroom to get ready. She emerged an hour later dressed but Natsu was still out, somehow he had ended up on his back.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to shake him back and forth. "Salamander wake up." She shook him harder as he continued to snore. "I said awaken Salamander, don't make me slice your throat." After a few more shakes Natsu's eyes began to slowly open. In his blurred and dizzy state all he saw was red hair.

"Erza?" he said gravely as his eyes adjusted.

"Close." Knightwalker answered, "Now get up. We still have to complete this mission correct?"

Natsu stood up as Knightwalker backed away and scratched his head while he yawned. "Yeah, we do." He then looked at her as he membered what she did. The longer he looked the more frustrated the Fairy Hunter became.

"What? Is something on your mind?"

"No." he walked towards the bathroom, "I'll meet you downstairs."

"Fine. Hurry up."

Knightwalker exited the room, closing the door behind her as she headed for the stairs. A few minutes later Natsu emerged from the door of the inn, the two shot each other a quick but uncomfortable glance as Natsu led the way to their next destination with Knightwalker staying several paces behind him.

As expected the mood between the two was nowhere near friendly, in fact it was safe to say that they hated each other's guts. Natsu hated Knightwalker's willingness to kill with no remorse while Knightwalker hated Salamander's constant speechifying on the rules of his guild and the constant comparisons to Erza Scarlet.

Despite all this Natsu knew he would was going to need her help on this job, but Knightwalker couldn't for the life of her figure out why she didn't just abandon the Dragon Slayer and leave him to his own devices. She still had to figure out how she came to Earthland in the first place.

Silence continued to fall over the two as they reached Magnolia. As they walked through the crowded streets, Knightwalker couldn't help but notice that she had no idea where they were going.

"Salamander." She called his name but he gave no response. "Salamander!" she yelled again but once again he gave no response. She clenched her fist in anger. _How dare he ignore me? _She reached out her arm to him.

"Hey! I'm talking to-"Knightwalker's eyes widened as she felt a sharp pain in her head. "Agh!" she let out a shrill cry as she fell to the ground, her hands clutching her throbbing head. "Nnngh…"

Natsu turned around quickly after hearing her call out. When he saw her on the ground her ran to her, kneeling next to her and propping her up as she continued to wince I pain. "Hey Knightwalker what's wrong? You alright?"

He tried to get an answer out of her but to no avail, the pain was too much for her to bear. She clutched her head tighter as random images began to pop into her head. Images of her room in the Royal Palace, a cloaked figure holding their hand over her mouth as she laid in her bed. _What is this? What am I seeing?_

Natsu shook her lightly, "Knightwalker, talk to me. What's going on?"

She knew Natsu was talking to her but the pain began to block out his voice, soon enough it was too much to bear and she passed out.

…

Knightwalker awoke a few hours later, she was lying in a bed, but didn't know how she got there. She looked at the ceiling and tried to get a feel for her surroundings. _Where am I?_ She moved her arm in front of her face as the light was too bright for her eyes, she then slowly looked to the left to see a black cat sitting on a countertop, and its eyes were closed as it sat with its head down and its arms crossed. It appeared to be sleeping.

Without thinking, Knightwalker opened her mouth to speak. "Panther…lily?" she spoke still weak.

The cat opened its eyes and hopped off of the counter after hearing its name. After jumping off of the counter it suddenly grew in size until he was about 6 or so feet tall, pulling up a chair next to the bed.

"Knightwalker?" He asked looking at her pale face. "You're awake." The behemoth man-cat said relieved.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the medical room of the Fairy Tail guild hall."

She tried to sit up but Pantherlily placed his hands on her shoulder's and slowly pushed her back down, discouraging her from getting up.

"Don't move, you still need to rest."

"Are we…are we back in Edolas?"

"Edolas?" the cat looked at her slightly confused, "No we're still in Earthland."

"I see." She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice, she was hoping her time in Earthland was just some strange dream. "How did I get here?"

"Natsu brought you in. You were in pretty bad shape, you were unconscious and your nose was bleeding. You look like you had been through quite the ordeal."

"Salamander brought me here?"

"Yes he did, he was kind of frantic as well. More so than usual. He demanded someone take a look at you."

Knightwalker's eyes widened a bit after hearing this. _Why would he do that? I was sure he detested me._ She smirked a bit. _That man is a hard one to read._

"Where is he?"

"Right now I imagine he is still talking to the master about the mission you two returned from."

"Ok then." She sat up again, "I have to find him and thank him for seeking aid for me, I can't let him hang that over my head." She smirked and rose from the bed.

"Are you sure you are ok to walk around?" Pantherlily asked a bit worried.

Knightwalker reached the door and placed her hand on the knob to turn it as Pantherlily's question entered her mind. She smiled, a genuine smile, as she answered. "Yes I'm fine 1st Division Commander."

"I'm not your superior anymore Knightwalker. You don't have to call me that."

She chuckled a bit, "I know, I just wanted to for old times' sake." Her smile turned into a slight frown as she continued to stand in front of the door. "I…I apologize for what I did to you in Edolas." She looked at the ground sullenly.

Lily placed his hand on his stomach as he remembered when Knightwalker shot him during their battle with Fairy Tail. It still hurt a bit, but he smirked at the notion of Knightwalker actually apologizing for something. "Don't worry about that, I forgave you a long time ago."

"I see." She turned the knob and slowly began to open the door. "Pantherlily."

"Yes?"

"Do you like being around these people?"

Things fell silent for a moment as Pantherlily looked at Knightwalker's back. He was genuinely astonished that she had asked him a question like that. She never really showed an interest in other's before perhaps her small time with Natsu changed something in her, if only for a moment.

"They may be a bit overbearing and noisy at times." He closed his eyes as he thought Gajeel & Natsu, his prime examples, "But yes I do enjoy being a part of this guild. Why do you ask?"

"I-It's nothing." She smiled once again, "I'm…glad you were able to find a place for yourself." Speaking her piece she walked out of the door, closing it behind her.

Pantherlily sat alone in the room as he looked at the door, he smiled as he thought to himself. _Erza, you've changed quite a bit. Perhaps Natsu is proving to be a good influence on you after all._

…

Knightwalker walked down the hallway until she reached the main area of the Guild Hall. When she emerged, everyone looked at her, some relieved, others still a bit scared of her. She scanned the open area and made her way to the bar.

"Oh Ms. Knightwalker, I'm glad you're finally awake." Mirajane said with a cheery smile, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, where is Scarlet?"

"She went on a mission with Lucy & Gray. They should be back tomorrow."

"Ah." She commented as Mirajane handed her a slice of Key lime cheesecake. Knightwalker looked at the dish, then at Mirajane confused. "I didn't ask for this."

"I know, but I thought that after being asleep for so long you would work up an appetite. So I made this and saved it for you." She smiled warmly at the Fairy Hunter.

Now that she thought about it, she was a bit famished. She hadn't eaten since she and Natsu left Biard. She dug into the cake, savoring each bite as if it were her last. After washing it down with some tea Mirajane gave to her. She looked around the guild hall at everyone still there, she rose from her stool and started to walk around the guild.

Everyone was pretty lively as various groups talked to one another about different topics ranging from jobs they had been on, to the state of the world, to which girls in the guild in the were the "hottest" (Knightwalker didn't really understand what the expression meant), she even heard something's about her. After being satisfied with her "reconnaissance" she returned to the bar.

"Where is Salamander?"

"After talking to Master, he went home. He wanted to wait until you were better, but Pantherlily volunteered to stay in his place."

"I see." Knightwalker thought a bit to herself before asking Mirajane her next question.

"Where does he live?"

...

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took so long to roll out, between my other stories and college starting up again, this one kinda sat in the back for a bit. All that said I hope this chapter was worth the wait, I'll try and have the next one up sooner lol. Let me know what you guys think :)**


	5. Detour

Knightwalker walked down the lightly lit streets of Magnolia. Obtaining the location of his house from Mirajane, she found herself making her way to his home on the outskirts of town. She was completely lost in thought.

_Why did he save me? I still don't understand it. What could possibly be in it for him? I was sure he despised me._

THUD!

Not paying attention to her surroundings, she bumped into a passerby and fell to the ground along with the person she collided with. Irritated Knightwalker looked in front of her, ready to attack.

"Pay attention you-"she stopped short when she noticed who she had bumped to.

The person she had bumped into rubbed their head and looked in front of them, "I apologize I wasn't-"

Knightwalker's eyes widened as she felt as if she was looking into a mirror. "Scarlet?" she asked.

The woman looked equally astonished as she looked ahead of her. "Knightwalker?"

The two women stood up and patted themselves off. They looked at each other and Knightwalker couldn't help but notice that Erza was more than a little dirty and bruised.

"Did you just return from your mission?" Knightwalker asked obviously knowing the answer.

"Yes, we just returned to town. Lucy and Gray went home, I was heading to mine as well. Where are you going at this hour? I thought you were staying at the guild hall while you were here." Erza inquired.

"I was…am." Knightwalker replied a little uneasy.

"Then where are you going so late?"

Knightwalker's face turned a as she looked at her counterpart. "Not that it's any of your concern…" her cheeks turned a light pink, "I was going to see Salamander at his home."

Erza's eyes widened in astonishment. "You were going to see Natsu?"

"Yes…I was."

"Why?" Erza was genuinely surprised at the reasoning behind Knightwalker's late night stroll.

"That's…none of your business Scarlet."

"Was it about the mission you two went on?"

Knightwalker looked away from her, her face as solid as stone. Erza smirked as she put her hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's talk at my place. It's pretty late so I'm sure Natsu is sleeping by now, besides I'm sure people will think they are crazy if they see me talking to myself."

"Fine, lead the way." Knightwalker replied annoyed still not looking at her doppelganger.

…

A few minutes later Knightwalker once again found herself in another unfamiliar room. She sat upon the bed that belonged to her counterpart, her "sister", Erza Scarlet. She looked around and marveled at how tidy things were, nothing was out of place. The clothes were neatly folded, the books that sat upon her shelf were arranged, by size, binding, author, and genre upon her dresser where there were pictures of various members of Fairy Tail. Knightwalker couldn't help but notice that Natsu was in a great number of said photos.

She looked at the photos, almost conjuring a smile before she heard the bathroom door click unlocked. She quickly raced back to the bed as Erza Scarlet emerged with a pink towel wrapped around her slender frame, another smaller towel wrapped around her head.

"Everything alright?" Erza asked noticing the sudden noise when she emerged from the door.

"Yes everything is fine." Knightwalker replied slightly annoyed, "Your room is so organized, it is almost frightening."

Erza chuckled, "Yeah, I get that a lot when I have visitors." Erza dried her long red hair and requipped into her pajamas as she sat on the other side of the bed across from Knightwalker, their backs facing each other. "I'm in charge of the dormitory so have to be an example for the other girls."

"I see." Knightwalker looked across from her to see a small collection of armor pieces and weapons hanging on the wall. "Where did you learn your magic Scarlet? Did your parents teach it to you?"

Erza placed the small towel next to her as she looked down, smiling weakly as she spoke. "I…don't remember my parents. I was taken into slavery when I was a little."

A silence rose between the two women as Knightwalker's eyes slowly filled with empathy. "I see, I apologize for bringing up such a painful memory."

"It's ok. While I never knew my real parents, I do have the Master and Grandpa Rob."

"Grandpa Rob?" Knightwalker asked interested.

"Yes, he was a man I met while in captivity. He was a kind and gentle old soul, he taught me about magic and its use. He died in a rebellion against out captors. That was also the day my magic emerged."

"You're requipping?"

"No, not yet anyway. I didn't learn requip magic until I was much older. My initial magic is a form of telekinesis, that's what allows me to control multiple weapons when I fight in my Heaven's Wheel armor and such."

"Oh I see, interesting."

"That's enough about me, what about you Knightwalker? I'm sure your life in Edolas had to be much more enlightening than mine." Erza said smiling.

Knightwalker sat back, putting her arms behind her to brace herself as she looked up at the ceiling. "I wouldn't say enlightening. My childhood was filled with expectations that had to be reached, tests to pass, and people to impress." She squinted as she looked at the groves in the ceiling. "My parents were a part of the kings royal army, my father was head general, while my mother the king's aide. So for as long as I can remember I've been in the service of the king."

"What were your parents like?"

"They were strict, but beyond that I couldn't tell you. My father wanted a boy, so he spent whatever time he had turning me into the warrior he wanted his nonexistent son to be."

"What about your mother?"

"I wouldn't know, she died when I was 8. During the war between magic guilds and the kingdom. My father followed a couple years later."

"Was that why you decided to start hunting Fairy Tail and the other guilds? To avenge them?"

Knightwalker smirked, "That would be the easy thing to say wouldn't it? That I blamed magical guilds for the death of my parents? That I swore vengeance on them for ruining my happy family?" She turned attention from the ceiling to the wall again.

"To be honest, I didn't feel too much of anything when they died. No anger, no rage, no sadness, no joy…just nothing." She chuckled "I guess that makes me a monster."

"Well if you didn't fight to avenge them, then why serve the king?"

"I felt like it was my duty to protect the king and his ideals, even if they were wrong. I guess that's the one way I honored my parent's memory."

"I see. I'm sorry if I brought up any unpleasant memories."

Knightwalker smirked, "Don't trouble yourself, it's not like I'm broken by it." Knightwalker stood up and walked towards the dresser and looked at the pictures. "You certainly do have a lot of photos here."

Erza looked over to her dresser and saw Knightwalker holding one. "You like them? I could give you one, I have many."

"No thank you, it would be a bit unsettling to have a picture of people I barely know with me." She glanced over all of them. "Salamander is in quite a few of these photos, were you too…involved?"

"Why? Are you envious?" Erza asked teasingly.

"No, I'm not. It just struck me as curious."

"Natsu and I have been friends for years, it only makes sense that he's in a lot of these photos."

"You're avoiding the question Scarlet."

"Haha, you're right I guess I am." She leaned back and looked up at her ceiling fan. "To be honest, there may have been a time when Natsu and I were more, but I don't think we could go back to that place."

"Why not?" Knightwalker asked interested as she sat next to Scarlet.

"I don't know. We're just…we're different people now. We've both grown so opposite of one another that I don't think we would work if we were romantically entangled. That and Natsu isn't always honest with his feelings."

"I sense some regret in your voice." Knightwalker commented.

Erza chuckled, "You might be right about that. So what happened between you two on the mission?"

…

The two Erza's sat in silence, as time continued to pass in the night. Erza Scarlet had sat with her hand under her chin in a thinking pose for almost an hour as Erza Knightwalker sat impatiently next to her. The continued silence made Knightwalker more than a little annoyed.

_Honestly,_ she thought as her irritation began to build. _If she has a problem with how I handled things the least she could do is speak up. This silence is trying my patience._

"Is that all that happened?" Erza said finally speaking up.

"Yes." Knightwalker replied. "Are you going to give me a lecture about killing that bandit as well?"

"No. While I don't agree with what you did, I'm not in a position to scold you."

"Oh…" Knightwalker said raising an eyebrow, "Has the honor bound Erza Scarlet taken a life?"

"No I haven't, but I would be a liar if I said that there weren't times where I considered taking a life. Natsu is no different."

"Salamander has killed?" Knightwalker asked surprised.

"Ni he hasn't, but he's come close." Erza looked down regretfully as she thought of the circumstance surrounding those times.

"That is certainly surprising." Knightwalker commented, "I can't really imagine Salamander being the type to take a life."

"He's not, it's more my fault that he even considered doing it."

"How so?'

"There have been two occasions where Natsu has come close to taking a life….and they were both for my sake."

"What could you have possibly done to make that happen? I can't imagine you telling Salamander to kill anyone on your behalf Scarlet."

"I didn't…I wouldn't."

"Then what happened?"

Erza sighed and told Knightwalker her troubles once more. "In the Tower of Heaven, there was a boy…his name was Jellal. He was kind, brave, and always tried to make the rest of the kids in the tower feel better about our situation." She pulled a lock of hair in front of her eye line. "In fact he was the one who gave me my last name, after my hair color." Erza began to blush.

"The way you speak it seems you were in love with this boy." Knightwalker inquired

Erza smiled softly as she let go of her hair, "Perhaps I was, he taught me how to believe in myself. Without him I probably wouldn't be here today." She then looked at Knightwalker, "He is also Mystogan's Earthland counterpart."

"King Mystogan's counterpart?"

"Yes, he is. After the rebellion I managed to escape, but Jellal and the others weren't as lucky as I was."

"Did they die in the battle?"

"No, Jellal became possessed by what he thought was the spirit of an ancient evil wizard. He bainoshed me from the tower with the threat that if I returned he would kill everyone, but in turn when I was gone he lied and told them I had abandoned them."

"He sounds like a traitorous dog to me." Knightwalker said with no emption in her voice.

"No, he wasn't in control of himself. The things he did weren't his fault…at least not fully." Erza looked down and clenched her fingers together tightly. "Years later, under circumstance out of my control I returned to the Tower. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, & Juvia followed me there."

"That does sound like your friends."

"During the fight with Jellal, my friend Simon was killed. Seeing me grieve over Simon's death caused something in Natsu…he I don't know, he snapped and attacked Jellal on full force. He would have killed him if I hadn't done something."

"You should have let Salamander finish him. This Jellal betrayed you and killed your friend, he deserved death for his actions."

"No, I don't believe that."

"You're too soft Scarlet."

"Besides, even if I hated Jellal for what he did, I would never let Natsu carry the burden of taking a life. He should never have to experience something like that."

"Are you saying that because you care for Salamander? Or because you still love this Jellal?"

There was a pause as Erza thought about the question her counterpart proposed to her. She would be lying if she said she didn't still have feelings for Jellal, if anything the fight against Oracion Seis proved that fact to be a truthful one, but she also couldn't deny that she had budding thoughts about Natsu. Although the thoughts never actively conflicted with one another until this moment.

Erza leaned back on her bed and looked at her whirling ceiling fan, the cool wind it generated brushing against her cheeks. She closed her eyes as she spoke, "I don't know for sure, I suppose you could say it's a touch of both."

Knightwalker smirked at her answer, "You are surprisingly indecisive for someone so composed Scarlet."

"Do you think so?" Erza chuckled, "I guess you're right, I'm pretty useless."

The two of them began to laugh at one another. It was so random and neither of them said anything that really constituted the laughter, but for some reason it felt right to them. Knightwalker found herself genuinely laughing at something other than the pain and suffering of an enemy. Something about this simple caused her to feel a slight tug in her chest, it was an odd feeling, but not an unwelcome one. It felt…liberating.

The two women finally calmed down after a few minutes and regained their composure. Erza stood up from the bed and walked towards her door, opening it. "Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked as she opened the door wider.

Knightwalker nodded and Erza gestured for her counterpart to follow her downstairs to the kitchen area of the Fairy Hills dormitory. Reaching the small but well equipped downstairs kitchen, Erza placed water in the kettle and placed that on the stove to heat it. Knightwalker found a stool next to a raised table facing the kitchen. Erza soon joined her and once she had settled herself, she asked a question that she had originally planned from the beginning. "What do you think of Natsu?"

Knightwalker raised in eyebrow in slight confusion as she let Erza's question hang in her ear. "What do I think of Salamander?"

Erza smiled softly, "That was the question."

"What is there to think? He's an idiot, he's reckless, he's rude, he has no tact, and he's wholly self-righteous." Knightwalker recited without any hesitation on the subject.

Erza laughed a bit heartedly, "That sounds like Natsu alright." Well maybe not that last part.

"But-"Knightwalker began again, "There is something about him that I can't explain. Something that draws people towards him. I assume that's why everyone I talked to at Fairy Tail spoke so highly lf him. I can't really put anything on it myself but…It's something oddly enlightening." Knightwalker smiled a bit as she spoke.

Erza smiled softly and looked down. _That's Natsu alright he can shine light on most everyone, it's the one thing he's good at besides fighting and destroying things. _The two women once again sat in silence, small grins on their faces.

FWEEEET!

The whistle of the tea kettle broke their concentration, bringing them back into reality as Erza rose from her seat and walked towards the hot kettle. She poured some of the water into a teapot and placed a teabag inside for the flavor. After a few moments she poured two cups and then opened the fridge. "What do you take with your tea?" she asked looking over at Knightwalker.

"Honey is fine."

"Honey it is then." Erza closed the fridge and reached into the pantry over the sink, reaching inside until she pulled out a medium sized bottle of honey. She slowly poured it into both of the cups and when she was finished she put it back. She then grabbed both of the cups by the saucer and brought to the table where the two sitting.

"Thank you." Knightwalker said appreciatively as Erza placed her cup in front of her. She let it cool a bit before bringing the warm cup to her lips. She sipped a bit and her eyes lit up. "This is wonderful Scarlet." She said extremely pleased as she drank more, savoring its rich flavor.

"Thank you." Erza replied smiling as she sipped her own tea. "However I'm not as good at preparing it as Mirajane."

Knightwalker took another sip of mug and sat it down on the table, clasping her hands around it. Her face read with all signs of unfamiliar emotions.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked concerned.

"I must admit this is…odd for me." Knightwalker said with a sheepish smile.

"What is?"

"This, sitting here with you drinking tea so casually. Not too long ago I was trying my damndest to kill you and your friends, but now I'm in Earthland with no way to return home and I honestly do not know how to feel." Knightwalker said as she began fo sulk lower.

She felt a warm hand on hers and looked up to see Erza smiling at her. "Just try to take things one day at a time, we'll find a way to send you back home."

"Heh" Knightwalker smirked, "Sometimes I think about not wanting to return home. Here I have no responsibilities, no duty that I am sworn to uphold. No hunts, no battles, no pain, just nothing."

"I thought you liked to fight."

"At one point I did, but after so long, it begins to become just another chore."

"Maybe you should just give up." Erza said nonchalantly as she took another sip of tea.

"Maybe I should." Knightwalker said chuckling, "But that would be unbecoming of a knight of the Royal Guard."

Erza smiled, "Well as long as your still here, you might as well stay the night."

"Don't pity my just because we've actually exchanged friendly conversation Scarlet."

"It's not pity, you have nowhere else to go. Besides you have admit that talking like this has been nice for the both of us."

Knightwalker sighed slightly annoyed, "Fine. I'll stay for the night."

"Good, and don't worry you can go see Natsu in the morning." Erza commented mischievously.

"Shut up." Knightwalker said quickly as she turned away from Erza, despite her attempt to deny it, Knightwalker could not hide the fact that she was indeed…blushing.

...

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took soooo long, life has seriously hindered my writing haha. I tried to take a bit of a different approach on this chapter detailing some more on the two Erza's relationship. I also tried to inject a bit of a backstory into Knightwalker, nothing too in depth just a bit of a broad look at what she was like before she became the Fairy Hunter so let me know what you guys think of that. As always thanks for reading and share your guys thoughts via review or msg. Thanks again :)**


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